Moving during your Rivier nursing program: the 90-day notice and what follows it

Updated September 26, 2026 · Reviewed by the Rivier Preceptor placement team

Rivier University asks graduate nursing students who change state after acceptance to tell the Dean of the Division of Nursing & Health Professions in writing at least 90 days before the move. The Dean uses that notice to flag barriers Rivier knows of, for clinicals and for APRN licensure beyond New Hampshire, yet the Handbook leaves the checking to you. Your RN license, your practicum site and your preceptor all have to follow you to the new address.

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90days' written notice to the Dean before a move

Numbered steps. A moving checklist for Rivier graduate students: 1 Check the State Guide; 2 Write to the Dean; 3 Research the new state's board; 4 Get the RN license; 5 Update Colleague Self-Service. — A moving checklist for Rivier graduate students: 1 Check the State Guide; 2 Write to the Dean; 3 Research the new state's board; 4 Get the RN license; 5 Update Colleague Self-Service.

The rule: a written notice to the Dean, 90 days ahead

The change-of-residence policy sits in the graduate section of the 2026-2027 Nursing Student Handbook (p. 72). It covers online and hybrid students in the AG-ACNP, FNP, PMHNP, Leadership, Nurse Educator and post-master's certificate tracks. If you move to another state after Rivier accepts you, you notify the Dean in writing no later than 90 days before the move.

The notice lets the Dean flag barriers Rivier already knows about, both to clinical placements in the new state and to APRN licensure outside New Hampshire. The Handbook is plain that the burden of checking those barriers stays with the student. An older Rivier practicum form from 2018 says the same thing in other words: students look into the new state's higher-education and licensure offices themselves, because Rivier cannot always tell whether a program meets a given state's rules.

Pre-licensure undergraduates owe the same 90-day notice under the undergraduate section (p. 38), with one exception: a move to Massachusetts.

Check the new state before you sign a lease

Look up your destination on Rivier's State Guide for your exact program before anything is final. A red cell for your track means Rivier cannot take students from that state; a yellow one means a call to the Program Director; a state with no row needs the same call. The DNP column differs from the MSN columns, so an FNP classmate's answer may not be yours.

Then look at the licensing side. The Handbook warns that a move may block APRN licensure outside New Hampshire, and it points graduates headed for licensure elsewhere to that state's board, since each state sets its own eligibility. It also cautions that a few states may bar out-of-state practicums outright because of a state's nursing board or its labor department. The state pages on this site, such as Massachusetts, gather each board's details in one place.

Your license and records move with you

Rivier requires graduate students to hold a valid RN license for whatever state the practicum is in, and that license is one of the clinical requirements you keep current in CastleBranch (myCB), together with the Student Information Sheet for Clinical Experience and a current resume. A move to a new practicum state means a license there before your first hour, and an updated upload. The practicum license guide covers the license options.

DNP students carry a stricter version: an unencumbered RN license in whichever state hosts your scholarly project, plus an active APRN license in the Professional Practice track. A lapse in licensure sends a DNP student onto leave of absence, so time the new license before the old one ends.

Update your mailing address in Colleague Self-Service, where the 2025-26 catalog places address changes, so billing and records follow you.

What a move does to a practicum

The practicum takes the hardest hit, and how hard depends on when you go. The Handbook ties your RN license to the practicum state rather than to your home address, so a site you can still reach may survive the move. Anything new needs a fresh approval.

Timing a move against Rivier's practicum rules
When you move	What it means for the practicum
Before your first practicum semester	The search starts in the new area; a new site needs the Preceptor Request Form, a contract that needs 30 days, and the August 1 or December 1 deadline
Between practicum semesters	A new preceptor and site for the next course, approved by graduate faculty and confirmed by the Clinical Practicum Coordinator before hours count
During a practicum semester	The 250 hours stay inside that semester and all required hours must be done before a final grade; speak to course faculty and the Clinical Practicum Coordinator before you pack
When the timing cannot work	A course withdrawal means contacting the Program Director within 14 days for a new Program of Studies, which may not keep the same practicum term; a leave of absence is open to students in good standing

The Handbook has no separate rule for a mid-semester move. The leave, withdrawal and readmission guide covers the options if you need to step back for a term.

A moving checklist for Rivier graduate students

Check the State GuideFind your new state's color for your program, and call the Program Director if it is yellow, missing, or you are in the AG-ACNP track.
Write to the DeanSend the change-of-residence notice at least 90 days before the move and keep a copy.
Research the new state's boardAsk about out-of-state practicums and APRN licensure there; the burden of checking sits with you.
Get the RN licenseApply for a license valid in the new practicum state and upload it to CastleBranch once it is issued.
Update Colleague Self-ServiceChange your address so billing and records reach you.
Tell faculty and the coordinatorGive course faculty and the Clinical Practicum Coordinator the date, and plan any new Preceptor Request Form early.
Plan the campus tripsFNP, PMHNP and AG-ACNP students keep making the trip to Nashua for campus intensives, now from farther away.

Why students who are moving call us first

A move restarts the hardest part of a Rivier practicum, finding a qualified preceptor, in a place where you may not know a single clinician. We start the search in your new area the day you know the date. We confirm the state's color on the chart for your track, then look for clinicians who satisfy Rivier's standards for your course, from a family-practice physician or FNP for the FNP track to a psychiatrist or PMH-certified nurse for the PMHNP.

Before the deadline, you have the preceptor's license, credentials and CV ready for the Preceptor Request Form and the site's contact details ready for the contract. Rivier's graduate faculty and Clinical Practicum Coordinator still make the call on the site; our part is getting a complete request that fits Rivier's rules in front of them while there is still time to act on it.

Questions Rivier students ask

Do I have to tell Rivier if I move to another state?

Yes, if you are a graduate nursing student. The 2026-2027 Nursing Student Handbook asks online and hybrid students who change state after acceptance to notify the Division's Dean in writing at least 90 days before the move. Pre-licensure undergraduates give the same notice. The Dean flags known barriers, but checking them remains your responsibility.

Does a move to Massachusetts need the 90-day notice?

It depends on your program. The Massachusetts exemption appears in the Handbook's undergraduate section, for pre-licensure students. The graduate change-of-residence policy names no exemption, so MSN, certificate and DNP students give the notice for any change of state, Massachusetts included. Massachusetts is green on Rivier's State Guide for every program.

Can I keep my Rivier practicum site after I move?

Possibly. Rivier links the RN license to the state where the practicum happens, not to where you live, so a site you can still travel to may work if your license covers that state. Tell course faculty and the coordinator about the move anyway, because every required hour must be finished inside the semester before a grade is given.

What if my new state is red on Rivier's State Guide?

A red cell signals prohibitive barriers: Rivier cannot take students from that state into that program. Raise the move with the Dean and the Program Director before it happens and ask what it means for your enrollment. Check the right column: the DNP's red list is shorter than the NP tracks', and the RN to BSN is red only in California.

Will moving affect my APRN license after I graduate from Rivier?

It can. The Handbook warns that a move may create barriers to APRN licensure outside New Hampshire, and it tells graduates that each state decides who is eligible. Before you commit to the move, ask the new state's board of nursing about its requirements and use NC-SARA's Professional Licensure Directory, which Rivier's program pages link to.

State GuideRivier's State GuideRivier's State Guide colors each state green, yellow or red for every nursing program: the red and yellow states, the unlisted ones, and what each color means.LicensureRN license for your practicumRivier requires an RN license in the state where your practicum happens. New Hampshire or multistate licenses, the older FNP campus note, and DNP rules.Your own statePracticums outside New HampshireRivier lets graduate nursing students do practicums in their own area. The RN license rule, state board limits, the State Guide and the trips to Nashua.Leave and readmissionLeave, withdrawal and readmissionRivier University graduate nursing rules for dropping a course, taking leave, returning, readmission after dismissal and the six- and seven-year time limits.DeadlinesPlacement deadlinesRivier's August 1 and December 1 placement deadlines, the four-month lead, 30-day contracts, deferral, and the older May 1 and September 1 dates compared.On campusCampus intensivesRivier's FNP intensives (nine days), PMHNP weekends and AG-ACNP campus days in Nashua, with the 2026-27 FNP dates and how they fit around practicum hours.

Last checked 2026-09-26

We check these pages against Rivier's own Nursing Student Handbook, program sheets, catalog, academic calendar and State Guide. Your program of study, your course faculty, your Program Director and the Clinical Practicum Coordinator have the final word.

Rivier asks you to identify a qualified preceptor. We make that the easy part.

Tell us your Rivier track, where you live and which semester your next practicum starts. We find preceptors who meet your track's rules, check early whether the site can contract with Rivier, and prepare everything the Preceptor Request Form asks for, well ahead of August 1 and December 1.

Preceptors matched to the track: an MD, DO or FNP in outpatient family practice for NURS 511, a psychiatrist or PMH-certified NP for NURS 521, a hospitalist or intensivist for NURS 638P
Preceptor license, credentials and CV ready for the Preceptor Request Form, with the site's contact details for the contract
In your own area, in New Hampshire or any state Rivier's State Guide accepts

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